Rep. David Brat of Virginia told Business Insider in an
interview earlier this week that he thought Donald Trump would
pick former House Speaker Newt Gingrich as his running
mate.

He added that Gingrich would be the best pick because of
his "dynamism."

"There's a bunch of other strong candidates, but he's got a
dynamism," the Virginia Republican, who is backing Trump, told
Business Insider while on a tour to promote his new book,
"American Underdog." "Trump's a strong figure — he
needs another strong figure who can go back and forth
credibly."

Brat, who pulled off one of the most improbable primary
victories in US history when he unseated then-House Majority
Leader Eric Cantor in 2014, said he had been in touch with
Gingrich about serving as an arbiter between the presumptive
Republican nominee and House Speaker Paul Ryan.

Though Brat stressed that he didn't have any "inside"
information on whether Gingrich would get the nod, he said, "It'd
be my guess right now."

The Associated Press reported Friday morning that Gingrich was
being vetted for the role along with Gov. Chris Christie of New
Jersey. Each was previously described to be on a short list of
candidates for the position. An aide with the Trump campaign said
the Manhattan billionaire was planning
on unveiling his running mate ahead of the Cleveland
convention later this month.

Newt Gingrich at
CPAC.Alex Wong/Getty
Images

Asked about the Cleveland convention, Brat said he didn't "think"
he'd be attending.

"I think I'm doing politics in the district," he said. "Stick
around and just go county to county."

He added that he was "still weighing it," noting that he was "not
that far" away from Northeast Ohio.

Brat acknowledged that he would be very interested to speak at
the event if asked.